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Mat to Fore News

It has been a greatly encouraging 6 months for all involved with Mat-to-fore as we have seen the pre-school take root and thrive in Kotei. Read on for all the latest news from Ghana and the UK...

PRE-SCHOOL REPORT

Mat-to-Fore Preparatory School is now in its third term. A tremendous transformation has happened in the lives of 36 children from the village of Kotei, who would normally be found loitering about doing nothing. These are the children who were either too young to travel the distance to the nearest village for schooling, or whose parents did not see the value of education, and so gave them no encouragement and support to go to school. Their ages range from four to twelve years.

They were all put together in one class during the first term, but have now been separated into two classes – KGI and KGII. The KGIs are between the ages of four and five years, while the KGIIs are between six and twelve years. As a result of the separation, another teacher has been engaged to help Mr. Azuma.

It is so encouraging to see the improvements in the lives of these children within such a short period of time. Not only have they developed an orderly routine of getting up early each day to have their bath, dress in their uniform, and get to school on time, they have also learned how to go through assembly, seat themselves orderly in their classrooms, and pay attention to lessons taught them, mainly through recitations, poems and games. They now know how to welcome any stranger who enters their classroom, sing a song about how good their school is, and recite various poems, all in English (the language used by the education system in Ghana).

Having been taught how to pronounce the English alphabets and count basic numbers, they are now going to move into learning how to identify and write them. They will start writing with chalk on slates before they later graduate into using pencils and pens. This will be their main academic exercise during this term.

PRE-SCHOOL PLANS...

At this stage of their development, the children learn better and faster through play than formal academic input. As a result, we need to build a playground on the school compound where they can spend quality time exercising their bodies and minds through various games. An area behind the school building has been earmarked for this purpose. We have engaged a few men to help clear the bush on this piece of land so it can be landscaped properly during the summer, and we plan to install play items like swings, see-saws, merry-go-rounds, etc. Thanks go to Immanuel & St. Andrew’s Primary School in Streatham, whose kind donation has kick-started our fundraising for this cause.

Would you like to be part of the team making this happen? There are opportunities for volunteering with Mat-to-fore over the summer period, both in helping with the landscaping of the land and also in working with the children in a "summer school" environment. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Audrey at info@mattofore.org

WELL UPDATE

Our well is unwell! The lid covering the well was left open by passers-by who helped themselves to a drink or two from it, and as a result the well has been contaminated by all kinds of debris. We will soon be welcoming back the contractors who dug the well who will clean the whole shaft and clear it of all contaminated water, allowing fresh water to refill it again. We shall then contact the Ghana Water Company to collect the requisite chemicals for treating it to make it potable. In an effort to prevent this happening again, together with protecting the land from trampling, we will be erecting a fence around the site.

FARMING MATTERS

The farming season begins in January when the land is cleared and prepared for cultivation of crops. It was decided that some food crops be grown in order to recoup some of the expenses for clearing the land, and to augment the children’s feeding programme. We have therefore embarked upon the cultivation of yams, plantain, and beans, as well as some groundnuts.

However, pilferage has become a problem. In addition to fencing the site, we have been advised by the chief and some concerned villagers that the best way to protect our crops from thieves is to engage a resident caretaker. As a result, we have terminated the services of the security man we did have with immediate effect, since it became obvious that he was doing nothing to protect our crops and other properties at the site. We are now looking for a resident caretaker who would be provided with accommodation on-site and be responsible for cultivating the land as well as providing security.

NEW ONLINE RESOURCE

Our justgiving page is now up and running! Justgiving is an easy and effective way for supporters to donate to their chosen charity at the click of a button. One-off donations can be made, monthly donations can be set up extremely easily, and Mat-to-fore receives any Gift-aid along with the donation rather than going through the lengthy claim process. Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/mattofore.

With justgiving, supporters can also set up their own Mat-to-fore fundraising page for any events they are organising or taking part in. Good luck to Gareth Selby, who has taken advantage of this service and created a page for his sponsored "Mountain Marathon" on 6th June. If you would like to sponsor Gareth, visit his page at www.justgiving.com/gareth-mattoforemarathon.

On the financial front, we are greatly encouraged by the increase in regular donations to Mat-to-fore. We now receive over £100 every month from faithful supporters. Our desire is to be able to cover our monthly expenses in Ghana by regular donations, giving us a target of £250 per month. If you feel you can help us meet this target, please visit www.justgiving.com/mattofore to set up your donation, or alternatively contact Audrey Barr on 07816 558646.

AND LASTLY, FAREWELL...

It is with gratitude and sadness we say goodbye to trustee Grace Owen, who leaves us in order to preserve her sanity with a growing business and toddler to care for! Grace's wisdom, skills, and expertise have been a real blessing to Mat-to-fore and we wish her well in all aspects of life, work, and ministry.

Registered Charity Number 1122803Registered Company Number 6420257 | NGO Number DSW/2476Copyright 2008 mat-to-fore. All rights reserved. Another PennInk Production.